I held it carefully, a porcelain cup with cracks repaired with gold. Fragile, but stronger in the places it was once broken. Why are you keeping it?, they asked me. I didn't answer. I poured water in it, watching it leak through the finest crack, spilling on the table. It wasn't perfect, but I'm not either. Broken as it was, it had a purpose - it watered the soil beneath her. Sometimes it's not about keeping it together. It's about allowing life to pour through you, even when you feel broken.
Alina Pădurariu
Sonia, stop. You've been driving me insane since this morning. Darius this, Darius that. I know it's your one year anniversary, I get that he hasn't even called you, but be patient, maybe the man's busy. No, no, no. He doesn't care about me. Maybe he's with someone else. I'm not picking up even if he calls. Oh, you're exasperating me. Remember when you told him you liked surprises and brave guys? There you go, he's in a paragliding competition right now. Who can stay in the air the longest. Now, Sonia, don't break like porcelain. Act surprised.
Florentina Ghițescu
A few years ago, I went to Japan with my daughter. It was beautiful. A different world. I couldn't understand at all their calm and peacefulness. My restlessness didn't go well with the place and the people, the zen gardens and temples. I knew the Japanese were famous for their cosmetics. I said I'd buy myself a moisturizing cream. The ladies from the shop kept trying to sell me a whitening cream. I tried to tell them I liked my sunburnt skin like the one of a peasant from Bărăgan region. I left with the cream they chose.
(Translated by Raluca Sălcianu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.